Multipiece gripper for a vise

ABSTRACT

A plurality of uniform pieces are gripped between the jaws of a vise by the exposed sides of individual turns of a coil spring disposed between the vise jaws. Preferably, several springs are housed in bores in a block with the turns of the spring extending from the face of the block for gripping pieces. The block is supported on a vise jaw and includes a plate compressing the springs within the bores so that their turns are contiguous.

United States Patent Inventor Appl. No.

Filed Patented Assignec MULTIPIECE GRIPPER FOR A VISE FOREIGN PATENTS 10/1922 Germany Primary Examiner-William S. Lawson Attorney-Cumpston, Shaw & Stephens 269/275X 269/275X 269/266X 269/275) ABSTRACT: A plurality of uniform pieces are gripped between the jaws of a vise by the exposed sides of individual turns of a coil spring disposed between the vise jaws. Preferably, several springs are housed in bores in a block with the turns of the spring extending from the face of the block for gripping pieces. The block is supported on a vise jaw and includes a plate compressing the springs within the bores so that 12 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

U.S.Cl 269/265,

269/275 lllt.Cl B251! 1/24 Field of Search 269/257, 265, 266,267, 271, 275; 81/418,425, 186;

I 83/465; 279/123 their turns are contiguous.

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PATENTED JUN 1 5 ISII FIG.

INVENTOR. EDWA RD L- RYSWICK ATTORNEYS MULTIPIECE GRIPPER FOR A VISE THE INVENTIVE IMPROVEMENT It is often desirable to grip uniform pieces together'between vise jaws for a single operation. For example, a number of uniform parts aligned and clamped in a vise could all be drilled or machined at once. However, vise jaws are ordinarily not accurately parallel, and even uniform parts vary slightly in dimensions. At least one part in such a stack usually comes loose and misaligns.

The invention aims at a simple, rugged, and=foolproof device for holding uniform parts securely together between vise jaws with sufficient force so that the parts can all be machined at once. The invention seeks economy, simplicity, ruggedness, durability, effectiveness, and efficiency in achieving such a goal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These objects are accomplished by a generally cylindrical coil spring disposed between the jaws of the vise so that the axis of the spring is perpendicular to the direction of closure of the vise jaws, and the turns of the spring are exposed in the region of the plane tangent to the turns and perpendicular to the direction of jaw closure so that the jaws press the turns against a plurality of pieces disposed between the jaws. In other words, the vise presses the sides of the turns of the coil spring individually against the successive pieces. A coil spring is very resistant to radical deformation, and each turn serves as a strong and efficient gripper. Preferably, several coil springs are arranged in'bores in a supporting block with a plate compressing the springs into the bores so that the turns are contiguous and extend forward from the front face of the block. Also, a hanger supporting such a block on one of the vise jaws is advantageous.

DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vise equipped with inventive gripper;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the gripper of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the gripper of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the gripper of FIG. 2 taken along the line 4-4 thereof;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view ofa vise using the inventive gripper to grip a plurality of parts stacked between the vise jaws; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective of an alternative embodiment of the inventive gripper.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The inventive gripper 10 is usable with a wide variety of conventional vises, and is shown in FIG. 1 as supported on the movable jaw 11 of a bench vise 9. Hanger strips 12 support gripper 10 in place and are capable of holding gripper 10 on either jaw of vise 9. Gripper 10 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2-4.

Base block 13 has boreholes 14 that open onto the front face 15 of block 13 to form open slots 16 in front face 15. A cylindrical coil spring 17 of approximately the diameter for bores 14 is housed in each bore 14 so that the turns of springs 17 extend outward through slots 16 beyond the front face 15 of block 13. A cover plate 18 holds springs 17 in bores 14, and preferably compresses springs 17 into bores 14 so that the successive turns of springs 17 are contiguous. Such compression can be accomplished by screws 19 turned down through hanger strips 12 and cover plate 18 into the body of block 13.

Gripper 10 is disposed between the jaws of vise 9 with its rear face 20 against the pressure face ofjaw 11. In such position, the axes ofsprings 17 are perpendicular to the direction of closure of the jaws of vise 9 and the turns of spring 17 are exposed. along the front face 15 of block 13 in the region of the plane 21 tangent to the turns of springs 17. Plane 21 is then perpendicular to the direction of closure of vise 9 and parallel to the axes of springs 17. Also, plane 21 is tangent to springs 17 on the sides of springs 17 opposite supporting jaw 11 and the rear face 20 ofblock l3.

With gripper 10 so disposed, the closure force of the jaws of vise 9 presses the turns of springs 17 against any, objects disposed between gripper l0 and oppositejaw'22 of vise 9. For example, a plurality of vertically stacked, uniform pieces would be held between jaw 22 and the successive turns of grippers 17 for vertically boring a hole down through the stack of pieces. Such an arrangement is shown in FIG. 5 where a soinewhat different vise 2 5 has a similar gripper 28 disposed between the jaws 26 and 27 to grip a vertical stack of pieces 29. Slight discrepancies in.the sizes of pieces 29 are exaggerated in FIG. 5 to show how the successive turns of springs 30 in gripper 28 engage all the pieces 29 without letting any pieces come loose.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the inventive gripper in which a single, cylindrical coil spring 32 is arranged on a rod 33 having its ends 34 bent around the vise jaw 35 to snap in place and dispose spring 32 for gripping engagement on jaw 35. A number of horizontally stacked pieces can be gripped by the successive turns of spring 32. I

For most work, springs used in the inventive gripper are preferably arranged in parallel relation when more than one spring is used, and the springs are preferably closely coiled so that the successive turns of the springs are nearly contiguous. Such springs are readily compressed to make the successive turns actually contiguous. The spring wire can be cylindrical, but is preferably square or rectangular in cross section so that the side surfaces of the gripper springs are nearly smooth. Springs can be oriented at any desired angle between the vise jaws so long as their axes are perpendicular to the direction of closure of the vise jaws. Springs can be built into one or both jaws of a vise to extend between the jaws, or they can be arranged in a separate holder as preferred. In addition to springs supported in bores such as shown in gripper 10, springs can be mounted on dowel pins or pegs or even loosely held against the gripping face ofa vise jaw. For convenience, it is preferred that the gripper spring be supported by one jaw of the vise so that it does not have to be held in place in addition to the workpieces as the vise jaws are closed.

Persons wishing to practice the invention should remember that other embodiments and variations can be adapted to particular circumstances. Even though one point of view is necessarily chosen in describing and defining the invention, this should not inhibit broader or related embodiments going beyond the semantic orientation of this application but falling within the spirit of the invention. For example, many different support means for the inventive gripper springs are possible, and a variety of hangers can be used to carry the supports on a vise jaw. Also orientation of the inventive grippers and springs can be adapted to particular workpieces and vises as desired.

Iclaim:

l. A multipiece gripper for a vise having closable jaws, said gripper comprising:

a. a generally cylindrical coil-spring;

b. means for supporting said spring to extend between said jaws;

c. the axis of said spring being perpendicular to the direction of closure of said jaws; and

d. the turns of said spring being exposed in the region of the plane tangent to said turns and perpendicular to said direction of said closure so that the closure force of said jaws presses said turns against a plurality of pieces disposed between said jaws.

2. The gripper of claim 1 including for compressing said spring to make said turns contiguous.

3. The gripper of claim 1 including means for housing all but said exposed portion of said turns of said spring.

4. The gripper of claim 1 including means for supporting said spring on ajaw of said vise.

5. The gripper ofclaim 1 including a block having a bore approximately the diameter of said spring, said bore opening along a face of said block, and said spring being disposed in said bore with said turns extending outward from said opening beyond said block face to said tangent plane.

6. The gripper of claim 5 wherein the rear face of said block is disposed against one of said jaws.

7. The gripper of claim 5 including a plate arranged over said bore for compressing said spring in said bore to make said turns contiguous.

8. The gripper of claim 5 including a hanger secured to said block and arranged for hanging said block on one of said vise aws.

9. The gripper of claim 5 wherein said block has a plurality of said bores arranged parallel to each other and a corresponding plurality of springs arranged in said bores.

10. The gripper of claim 9 including a plate arranged over said bores for compressing said springs in said bores to make said turns contiguous.

11. The gripper of claim 9 including a hanger secured to said block and arranged for hanging said block on a jaw of said vise. 7

12. The gripper of claim 11 wherein the rear face of said block is disposed against the gripping face of said supporting aw. 

1. A multipiece gripper for a vise having closable jaws, said gripper comprising: a. a generally cylindrical coil spring; b. means for supporting said spring to extend betweEn said jaws; c. the axis of said spring being perpendicular to the direction of closure of said jaws; and d. the turns of said spring being exposed in the region of the plane tangent to said turns and perpendicular to said direction of said closure so that the closure force of said jaws presses said turns against a plurality of pieces disposed between said jaws.
 2. The gripper of claim 1 including for compressing said spring to make said turns contiguous.
 3. The gripper of claim 1 including means for housing all but said exposed portion of said turns of said spring.
 4. The gripper of claim 1 including means for supporting said spring on a jaw of said vise.
 5. The gripper of claim 1 including a block having a bore approximately the diameter of said spring, said bore opening along a face of said block, and said spring being disposed in said bore with said turns extending outward from said opening beyond said block face to said tangent plane.
 6. The gripper of claim 5 wherein the rear face of said block is disposed against one of said jaws.
 7. The gripper of claim 5 including a plate arranged over said bore for compressing said spring in said bore to make said turns contiguous.
 8. The gripper of claim 5 including a hanger secured to said block and arranged for hanging said block on one of said vise jaws.
 9. The gripper of claim 5 wherein said block has a plurality of said bores arranged parallel to each other and a corresponding plurality of springs arranged in said bores.
 10. The gripper of claim 9 including a plate arranged over said bores for compressing said springs in said bores to make said turns contiguous.
 11. The gripper of claim 9 including a hanger secured to said block and arranged for hanging said block on a jaw of said vise.
 12. The gripper of claim 11 wherein the rear face of said block is disposed against the gripping face of said supporting jaw. 